Lifting-jack



3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

L. MILLER.

LIPTING JACK.

Patented July 30, 1889.

,N: FETERS. Pmh-Lilhogflphar. Wnlhingion. D. C.

(No Model.) I 3 SheetsSheet 2.

' L. MILLER.

- LIFTING JACK.

No. 407,788. Patented July 30, 1889.

3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

(No Model.)

L. MILLER.

LIFTING JACK.

Patented July 30, 1889.

. m H W N. rnns. Pmmumug m. Washinglom n. c.

UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE.

LEWIS MILLER, OF AKRON, OHIO.

'LlFTlNG-JACK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 407,788, dated July 30, 1889.

Application filed October 23, 1888- Serial No? 288,880. (No model.)

l0 all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, LEWIs MILLER, of Akron, county of Summit, and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Lifting-Jacks, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification.

My invention relates to that class of hoisting or lifting jacks employing a lever and a pawl-and-ratchet movement, and in which the weight or object to be raised or adjusted is moved a short distance equal to the length of one or more of the teeth of the'rack-bar, and then held while the pawls areadjusted for giving further movement, as will be understood from the following description and claims.

The jack is especially designed for use in connection with a harvesting-machine for raising and lowering the cutting apparatus, and is shown in the drawings applied thereto for the purpose of illustrating its operation; but it will be apparent that it may be used elsewhere, and it is therefore not intended to restrict it to such use.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents my improved jack in side elevation, partly broken away, and with the adjacent adjustable side plate removed, but show ing the pins or spurs of the latter in section. Fig. 2 is a front or edge view of the same. Fig. 3 represents a section on the line 0000, Fig. 2; Fig. 4, a section through the rackstandard showing one of the pawls in plan view; Fig. 5, a side elevation, and Fig. 6 an edge view, of the removable side-casin g plate; Fig. 7, a side elevation, and Fig. 8 a perspective view, of the lever-plate; Figs. 9, 10, 11, and 12, detail views showing the construction and arrangement of parts of the jack. Fig. 13 shows the jack applied to the main and wheel frames of a harvesting-machine for effecting the adjustment of the main frame and cutting apparatus.

A indicates the rack-standard of the jack, provided at one end with an eye Ct, through which it is to be pivoted to the fixed support or to the object to bev raised. The bar or standard A is made, preferably, rectangular in form, (in' the crosssection,) as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, and is ratchet-faced upon one of its sides a to adapt it to engage and hold the pawls hereinafter referred to.

B indicates a hollow casing or shield made in the main rectangular in form, with one of its side plates B made adjustable and removable, for purposes which will appear, said casing having its ends I) and I) provided each with a perforation 12 matching snugly and forming bearings for the standard A, which passes through said casing from end to end, the casing forming a shield for protecting the working parts of the jack from dirt or obstructing matter. The side plate Bhas slots 12 formed in it near its ends to receive perforated lugs b on the main portion or body of the casing for adaptingit to be secured to and to permit its vertical adjustment on the latter for a purpose which will appear.

0 indicates the leverforactuating the jack, and O a lever-plate rigidly secured to the le ver and provided at its lower end with a lateral projection madein the form of an upper segment O of a vertical disk, the periphery of which is in an arc of a circle of which a pin 0 on said projection is the center, said pin passing through a slot in the fixed side plate of the shield B and pivoting the lever thereto. The pin 0 has a lip 0 formed on its upper side at its end,which serves to hold the lever when in operative position engaged with the casing, but which permits the pin to be withdrawn when the lever is turned out of its usual operative position, in a manner well understood. The casing-shield B is slotted at one side or edge to receive the lever and permit its movement, and the portion of the wall thereof which overhangs the segment 0 (indicated at B is made in an arc of a circle conforming to the outer face of the segment C and resting thereon, said segment supporting the shield. Thelower side of this projection O has grooves or sockets at d d for the reception, one d of the end barfof a rectangular link-shaped pawl F, and the other (1 of the cross-bar e on the end of an angular link E. The socket cl has a lower hook-shaped lip (1 which underlies the end bar of the link-pawl referred to and serves to prevent accidental displacement or disengagement of the latter with the lever, and the socket d has a perforated wall 61 on oneside, with which a pin-extension e of the cross-bar e engages for pivoting the link Eto the lever. The link E has its lower horizontal arm E made in the form of arectangular loop,which surrounds and is adapted to slide on the standard A, and at the angle of junction of said arm with the upright arm of the link a groove or recess is formed on the inner side of the angular link at 6 for the reception of the cross-bar g at the lower end of the lower link-shaped pawl G. The pawls referred to are made each in the form of a rectangular loop or link extending obliquely around the standard A, and the inner face of the end cross-bars f and g, at what is the upper end of the link in the detail views showing said links, has a series of teeth, as indicated,which engage the teeth a of the rack or standard A for holding the pawls. The lower ends of the links have rounded cross-bars, one f engag ing the lever-plate C, and the other g the angular link E, as explained, and the inner faces of these rounded cross-bars,where they rest against the adjacent face of the standard A, are'fiattened or given an eccentric form, as shown at f 9 for adapting them to slide easily up and down on the standard and at the same time resisting the tendency of the upper end of the links to drop away or outward from the ratcheted face of the standard. The upper cross-bars f. and g are provided on their outer faces with slotted lugs or ears f and g and are connected one with the other by a loop or link h,which works up and down in the slots in thelugs, limiting the movement of the pawls relatively to each other and serving to guide and control such movements.

The side bars of the links or pawls F and G, on one side thereof adjacent to the removable plate B, are each extended to form projecting toes or spurs f 4 and g, which project one underneath a pin or spur 1' and the other under a spur or pin 2" formed upon or otherwise rigidly secured to the inner face of the plate B. This arrangement of the toes or spurs f and g and pins 1' and 'L" serves to limit the outward and upward movement of the lower ends of the pawls relative to the rack-standard, and thereby to limit also the movement of the upper connected ends of said pawls; but the outer side of the plate has a perforated lug or ear J upon it, from which a rod or link J extends to a thumblever K, pivoted to the lever 0 near its upper end, and by operating which the attendant can raise or lower the side plate B, and with it the pins 11 and t, relatively to the easing B and pawls F and G, and thereby permit greater or less movement or vibration of the link-pawls on the rack-bar A, when required, the slot 19 permitting this adjustment of the side plate B.

By raising the plate B the pawls F and G can both be released from the rack A, and the casing and pawls can then be readily raised or lowered on the rack for setting them at any desired point.

In Fig. 13 the rack-standard is shown pivoted at its lower end at a to a lug or ear I on the wheel frame or arm L, which is pivoted at its rear end at Z to the main frame M of the machine. The main frame has near its forward end a grooved standard M, which embraces and slides up and down on the forward quadrant-shaped end L of the wheel frame or arm for guiding and steadying the movement of the main frame thereon, and on this standard M or other suitable point on the main frame a perforated lug or arm 'm is formed or otherwise rigidly secured. The upper end of the rack standard A passes through this arm m, and the latter rests upon, is upheld by, and moves with the shield or casing B as said casing is adjusted up or down on the rack-standard. The lever C projects up within convenient reach of the driver in his seat on the machine, and by vibrating the lever backward and forward the driver can operate the jack for raising the main frame, and with it the cutting apparatus, as desired, and the latter will be held at any point where the lever is released without further attention from the operator.

In operation as the lever is vibrated forward it rests and vibrates on its pivotal connection,with the angular link E as a fulcrum, said link in turn being upheld on the rack A by its connection through the end bar g with the pawl G, and the connection of the pawl F with the lever being eccentric to and in rear of the said lever-fulcrum, as the lever is vibrated forward the pawl F will be raised one or more teeth on the rack-bar. As the movement of the lever is reversed the pawl F engages the rack bar, and the end bar f thereof becomes in turn the fulcrum ofthe lever, and the pivotal connection of the link E being eccentric thereto, said link and the pawl G connected with it will be raised, the 110 latter to take a higher hold on the rack-bar. Thus at each vibration of the lever (J one or the other of the pawls supports the lever while the other pawl rises on the rack-bar, and the lever, owing to the eccentric arrangement of I I 5 its changing fulcrums to its pivotal center, is carried upward at each vibration and carries the casing band-frame Mwith it, in a manner that will be readily understood. By lifting the plate B, and with it the stops or pins 1' and 120 i, as eirplained, the pawls F and G can bot-h be thrown out of engagement for lowering the shield or casing B, and with it the frame M, as desired.

If desired, the position of the jackcan be 12 5 reversed and the end a of the rack-bar pivoted to the frame M, in which case the end 17 of the inverted casing B will rest on a perfo rated lug or arm on the wheel frame or arm, and the lever or levers for operating the jack I 0 will be arranged to suit the arrangement of the jack or the machine to which it is tobe applied. Where the jack is to be used for other purposes, it may of course be provided with any suitable form of base or support.

Having now described my invention, I claim as new 1. The combination, in a lifting-jack, of a shield or casing, a lever pivoted therein and having sockets d (1 in its end, and two pawls or clamps, one engaging and actuated directly by the lever, the other through a link interposed between it and said lever, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with a rack-standard, the pawls, and their actuating-lever, of an angular link having its inner face grooved or recessed at one end, and a bearing for the lei'er at the other eccentric to the pivoted center of the lever, substantially as described.

3. The combination, with a rack-standard and two pawls engaging therewith, of a lever provided on its lower or inner end with a fixed projection or lug formation engaging one of said pawls, and an angular link interposed between said lever and the second pawl for operating the latter, substantially as described.

4. The combination, with the rack-standard and pawls, of a guiding-link connecting the pawls, whereby each pawl is guided by the other, as described, a lever acting directly on the lifting-pawl, and a link interposed between said lever and the second pawl, for the purpose and substantially as described.

5. The combination, with the rack-standard and pawls, of a shield or casing having an adjustable cap or sideplate provided with lugs or pins on one side for operating the pawls, and means, substantially as described,

for adjusting said cap or plate.

6. In a lifting-jack, a casing or shield having an arc extension and slots for the passage of a rack-standard, in combination with a rack-standard and two pawls engagingtherewith, and a pawl-operating lever provided with a laterally-projecting are bearing conforming to and lying in said are extension of the casing, substantially as specified.

7. In a lifting-jack, the combination, with the rack-standard, of two pawls made in the form of rectangular links, provided each with toothed cross-bars and cam-faced cross-bars and connected by a link for joint operation, and means, substantially as described, for operating said pawls.

8. The combination, with a rack-standard and its pawls, of an inclosing shield or casing having one of its sides adjustable relatively thereto, said adjustable side carrying one or more pins or projections, which act, when the side is adjusted, to disengage the pawls from the rack-standard, and means, substantially as described, for adjusting said side.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 23d day of October, A. D. 1888.

LEWVIS MILLER.

Witnesses: V

LEWIS FREoH, THos. E. Woons. 

